


Cuddly Cat Café

by old_shizuumi151 (shizuumi151)



Series: Parallel Universes [2]
Category: Free!
Genre: Kamatte Kawaii Hito, M/M, based on a manga
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-22
Updated: 2015-07-22
Packaged: 2018-04-10 17:00:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4400036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shizuumi151/pseuds/old_shizuumi151
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sousuke hates cats, Makoto works in a cat café, and fun ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cuddly Cat Café

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the BL manga, [Kamatte Kawaii Hito](http://www.mangago.me/read-manga/kamatte_kawaii_hito/), which I think translates to "Attention-seeking, Cute Person". After I read it, I was dying to write spin a SouMako AU from the premise; so here it is!

There are three things in this world that Yamazaki Sousuke hates: long-ass novels, his shoulder, and cats.

However he sliced it, Sousuke couldn’t like cats. Granted, they could be fuzzy, laze around with their yarn, or fiddle with whatever their stubby paws liked to play with. He only wished that they wouldn’t flare up at him whenever he got within a 2-metre radius of one. Not to say that Sousuke was scared of them in the least. They were just balls of fluff.

With claws.

Claws that hurt.

Anyway, Sousuke didn’t like cats. End of story.

Usually, however, his longstanding dislike wouldn’t be a concern in his day to day life. He currently enjoyed his position of marketing co-director for one of Japan’s top swimsuit brands; there wouldn’t be a cat in sight in his line of work, and he didn’t intend to have a change of heart anytime soon.

Beforehand, anyway.

Because then he got to know a new employee, who was bubbly, bright, and just what the doctor ordered. She fluffed up her chestnut hair around him, giggled a little fast, and her mascara-touched eyelashes would flutter when she asked what _Sousuke-kun_ thought of whatever was going on at the time. She dropped all the little signs, and he picked them up with amused smiles and friendly touches.

Then they’d passed by the local cat café, and she had to point her manicured-finger to its windows right in front of his blanching face.

“Look, look, Sousuke-kun!” she gushed, positively glowing, while Sousuke willed himself with a tight jaw and a pinched smile to grow a pair. “Isn’t that so cute? I wish I could go, but I haven’t had the time lately, and I’d never be able to go around these parts myself…”

She glanced up at him with chocolate doe eyes, and he cursed inwardly.

“Well…” _I like you, but not that much._ “Our campaign will be over in two weeks. I could show you around then,” he reasoned, kicking himself as she started to shine like the sun.

“Then it’s a date!” she grinned, and Sousuke closed his eyes not in a smile, but to hide how his eyes soured at his stupidity.

* * *

And that led to the present moment, where Rin clutching his stomach for dear life while his laughter echoed off the living room walls.

“Ho-holy shit,” he gasped, convulsing with giggles. “You actually said that?!”

Sousuke cast a glance from his steepled fingers, deeply chagrined. Rin was his longtime colleague, and undisputedly the closest and most important friend in his life. But sometimes he wanted to punch him right in his shark-teeth, too.

“Yeah,” he sighed. “I said that.”

“Fuck, you told me t’break out the beer for this, but— _damn_ ,” he wheezed, rubbing a tear from his eye. “Is she that good, or are you that stupid?”

He exchanged a long, pained look with his giggle-drunk friend.

“…I’m that stupid.”

At least he found some solace when Rin fell off the sofa laughing.

But the gist still remained: Sousuke had screwed up big-time. But he couldn’t back out of it on principle, and Rin had agreed; he’d promised the girl, and he wouldn’t stand her up just because of some pet peeve.

“Or cat peeve,” Rin pointed out.

He’d ducked out of the door before Sousuke’s cushion could hit him.

* * *

Thus the prelude ends to how Sousuke found himself in front of the cat café (and quite literally, too, considering that it had taken him an hour to find it). It was surely a sight to behold: a strapping, suited man louring at the adorable storefront of _Cuddly Cat Café_. Even the curlicue of the ‘y’ was a cat tail; if it didn’t scream _kawaii_ , he didn’t know what would.

He’d been steeling himself the entire time at work for this one moment: an intense stare-down with the glass doors of a cat café, and a cartoon cat looming above with a breezy grin.

He heaved out a breath, and squared his shoulders. _Suck it up, Sousuke._

To his credit, he didn’t flinch once striding through the automatic doors. Hand in pocket, suit lapels spread, and poker-face set, he was the image of confidence and intimidation: a man with a plan, and who happened upon a cat café. Because he _could_.

Unfortunately, that image lasted for only five metres.

The reception was a literal hop, jump, and a skip away from the cat playground. When it came into view, his heart nearly exploded out of his ribcage.

Cats.

Ragdoll. Burmese. Bombay. Scottish Fold. Siberian. Russian Blue. Exotic Shorthair. _Felis catus_ as far as the eye could see.

 _So many cats_.

He gulped pointedly. He spotted a Persian glaring at him with angry old eyes, and a strained noise rippled from his throat.

“Welcome.”

Sousuke’s head snapped over to the clerk, whose greeting was as flat as his expression.

Considerably shorter than Sousuke, he still had an average height and a slim build. He was dressed in the café uniform: a yellow apron with a brown paw-print in the centre, which was a complete mismatch with the jet-black fringe, limpid eyes, and generally deadened impression he had going on.

“Hello. Um,” Sousuke ventured for some sensible question, but the clerk kept his stare without a hint of a smile. “Anything I should know? Before…” he tried not to twist his lip. “Playing with them?”

The clerk pointed to the sign on the counter between them. Sousuke glanced down.

> **_Cuddly Cat Café_ welcomes you! Help yourself to some cuddles!**

“So. Just…” he grimaced at the chipper handwriting, then at the clerk. Their name tag read ‘Nanase’. “Help myself?”

“That’s what the sign says.”

Sousuke squinted at his deadpan. Either Nanase was really straightforward, or supremely able to make people feel stupid.

“Right…” Sousuke closed his eyes in a huff, holding back a quip on the less-than-stellar customer service. “I’ll do that, then.”

Nanase soon went about his own business behind the counter, and Sousuke was effectively alone again. Since most people were working around this time, he was the only customer present—the first of the day, if he had to assume.

He massaged the back of his neck with his clammy palm, trying to collect his focus on why he was here again. If not for the girl, then at least for getting rid of this stupid phobia once and for all.

He drew in a final breath before heading towards feline hell.

 _Though,_ he thought absently, swallowing when a wide-eyed kitten mewled at the sight of him. _It might not be so bad._

* * *

“ _Dammit_.”

Sousuke hissed at his own naivety. The pressure between his lips could crack his teeth. Cats pawed around his shoes and kittens mewled next to his thighs. A Japanese Bobcat batted lightly at the cuffs of his suit trousers, and Sousuke could feel his ligaments sew into a tight, tight lock.

 _This was the shittiest idea._ The thought passed his mind on reflex, but he berated himself in a slow exhale. _It’s okay. It’s fine. You’re fine._ He shut his eyes, and drew in a deep breath. _You’re a grown man. You can do this._ He fisted the cotton blend of his suit trousers, his pulse starting to calm. _Just get used to them, and it’ll be over and done with—_

He felt a kitten purr on his head.

* * *

Nanase watched the strange businessman for a good few minutes now, even enough to admire Shiro’s unwitting stealth at jumping atop his head. Before he could turn away in indifference, though, the man seemed to freeze up.

* * *

_… **Fuck**._

This was it.

For Yamazaki Sousuke, this was the end of the line.

Life truly was a fleeting thing, and Sousuke felt the five stages of grief on fast forward as the cold presence of Death meowed along his scalp. All he could do was clutch the cropped sides of his head, adopt the brace position, and pray.

* * *

The beginnings of a wrinkle formed between Nanase’s brow. When it looked like the customer seemed to be hiding tears, Nanase briefly turned to the staff lounge.

“Makoto.”

“Hm?” A clerk tagged ‘Tachibana’ popped out from the door behind the counter. With soft brown hair and kind green eyes, his unwitting aura just oozed ‘Employee of the Decade’. “What is it, Haru-chan?”

“It’s a customer,” Haru explained, before tacking on, “And enough with the -chan.”

“Sorry,” Makoto answered with a habitual smile, before ducking behind the door again. The sounds of tin cans and plastic bags whispered from the back. “Just give me a moment, and I’ll be right out.”

He hummed absently, and went back to eyeing the customer. Even when Makoto came out a few seconds later, Haru’s fascination didn’t leave the tormented man for a second.

“So a customer?” he repeated, wiping his hands down his apron.

Haru nodded, and pointed to said keeled-over customer. After a few seconds staring at a grown man bracing from a snowy kitten, Makoto quickly jumped in alarm.

“Oh, _Shiro!_ ”

Haru blankly watched as Makoto left the small reception door swinging.

* * *

Sousuke was ill prepared for this moment. He was young, healthy, and oblivious. He didn’t bother to consider who would receive his assets after his untimely death, let alone penning a living will. He took the rest of his life for granted. He imagined his parents’ lovely smiles, Gou’s sweet laugh, Rin’s stupid giggling, and rued how he couldn’t even say a final goodbye to them.

Then a weight lifted from his head, and he opened his eyes to see his cotton-blend slacks and black leather shoes on linoleum. At least he was well-dressed for the afterlife.

But then he blinked. The back and front of his hands were perfectly intact, and he felt…distinctly _not_ dead.

“I’m so sorry, sir!”

Sousuke snapped his head up to the distressed voice, the source of which was two steps away: a clerk with a head of short brown hair, as well as bowing deeply.

Sousuke cleared his throat, nonplussed and all-around sheepish at the display of humility. His heart rate was still ramping down from his close brush with assured death, but only a small frown managed to slip through his stony façade. He opened his mouth to reassure the young man, if only for him to stop bowing.

But then the clerk stood tall, and Sousuke’s brow arched onto his forehead.

“I apologise for not coming sooner, sir,” the clerk continued. His brown hair shone blonde at the tips, tickling his upturned, conscience-stricken, _bright green_ eyes, as he cradled a docile white ball of death. “Shiro really didn’t know any better; I’m so sorry. Are you alright?”

“Uh…” was the verbal drool that came out of his mouth. At the clerk’s concerned head-tilt, Sousuke quickly shook his head, and squeezed his eyes tight for a second. “No, yeah. It’s fine.” The edges of his vision tinged purple when he opened them again, and he offered an appreciative nod. “Thank you for that.”

“N-No problem, sir! If anything, I should’ve come sooner,” the clerk gave a flushed smile, the nervousness seeping out of his relaxed shoulders. He adjusted his hold on the kitten, and Sousuke caught a glimpse of his name tag.

“So, Tachibana, is it?” Sousuke ventured. A touch of amusement tugged the corner of his lip when the clerk snapped to attention.

“Yes, sir?”

“Yeah. If it’s possible, I…” he trailed off slightly. His thumb went past his side-burn, and his fingers gently tangled into his own hair. “I was wondering if you could…help.”

“Of course,” Tachibana nodded earnestly. He kneeled down to let Shiro scamper off to play with the rest of the kittens, and held his hands together when he stood up straight again. “What is it you need help with?”

At Tachibana’s ever-encouraging smile, Sousuke glanced away. His hand had gone to massage his nape, now, and he sulked at the words that just wouldn’t leave his mouth.

“I’m…not very good with…” his mouth hung open, and his sealed it shut with another pout.

“Sorry?” Tachibana leaned forward slightly. “I didn’t quite catch that, just now.”

“— _Cats_ ,” he blurted, finally. He let out a rough sigh. “I’m…not so good with cats.”

Sousuke looked back at Tachibana with shot pride, only to catch a surprised blink that made it sink even further. Before he could think of dismissing the matter entirely and leaving, Tachibana stilled him with a free and easy smile.

“I can definitely help you with that!” he beamed sunnily, and left Sousuke all but slightly gaping. “I find it really admirable that you’re trying your best to get along with them, so I’ll do all that I can to help you, sir!”

“Yamazaki.”

This time, they both blinked.

“S-Sorry?”

“It’s…” Sousuke quietly clicked his tongue. _Me and my big mouth._ “Yamazaki. Without the _-san_ , if you can help it.”

“Oh. Um, then…” he audibly swallowed, his lip twisting a little. “Yama…zaki.”

When Tachibana lightly scratched by his green eyes, looking away, Sousuke raised a brow.

“Hard to pronounce?”

“N-Not at all!” Tachibana looked back quickly, shaking his hands. “It’s just—I usually don’t, address customers so _casually_ , it’s…it almost feels rude, as silly as it seems. The name itself—your name, I mean!—is completely fine—” He stuttered to a quiet when chuckles started bubbling from behind Sousuke’s fists. “S-Sir…?”

Even after the gentle question, Sousuke was still laughing. Not anything derisive, anxious, or negative; simply a light, gentle laugh that came from his belly and crinkled the corners of his eyes. Somehow, this bumbling, well-meaning cat café clerk Tachibana made him feel miles away from any cat, big or small.

“I was only teasing, Tachibana,” he clarified with a grin, eyes thin with a shining teal. “You can use it if you want.”

“…Ah…” Tachibana looked at the ground, the tips of his ears clearly red. As mean as it would’ve been at that point, Sousuke just wanted to laugh and tease him all over again. Then Tachibana squared his shoulders, trying to salvage his professionalism in a kind smile. “Then, shall we begin, Yamazaki-san?”

“Yeah,” Sousuke rested his forearms on his thighs, relaxing for the first time since he entered the cat café. “Let’s.”

* * *

An hour into the day and with a few customers popping in, Haru frowned at being left alone at the counter to deal with them all. Especially the women, who would come to ask bothersome questions without any real issues, and just leave again. It was like they couldn’t read the sign.

During one such interaction with a troublesome girl who kept squirming over wanting a phone number (when the café’s hotline was clearly printed on the countertop brochure), Haru still found his glance at Makoto’s way ineffective. Usually he would sense that something was amiss, and arrive at Haru’s side to deflect the annoyance, as it would always pan out.

Now Makoto was just sidling up to a customer like the sofa was shrinking, and Haru’s deadpan went sullen.

* * *

Trying to mask his swallow, Sousuke eyed the Scottish Fold kitten reaching for the small reed Tachibana was waving by its face. He tried not to focus on the cooing noises that Tachibana was indulging, and tried to comprehend the reed in his own fist instead.

“So, I just,” he looked at the Bombay kitten currently challenging him. “Wave this.”

“Mhm!” Despite the reassurance, Tachibana didn’t look away from the mewling kitten. Sousuke glanced at him, trying to demystify the joy Tachibana found in waving the reed, like the Scottish Fold was his own baby. “They really love playing with toys. Don’t you, Tama?”

The Scottish Fold, Tama, meowed at Tachibana’s ankles, and the sheer affection in Tachibana’s chuckle gave Sousuke second-hand embarrassment. He cleared his throat, and started to handle the reed like a jerky paintbrush.

He swore the Bombay actually squinted at him, before sauntering off with a high tail. Sousuke nearly crushed the reed in his grip.

“Why you little—”

He clammed up at the sound of melodic laughter, and looked over to Tachibana, trying to muffle his glee. The cats naturally wandered closer to his bell-like voice, and Sousuke was convinced that Tachibana the cat whisperer was born and raised in the very café he worked in.

“You don’t move it around like a _robot!_ ” he chuckled, and the lightness of it tickled the edges of Sousuke’s chest. When Sousuke blinked back to reality, he only registered the warmth of Makoto’s hand on his, and the confidence in his gentle clasp. “It’s more like this, Yamazaki-san.”

Before Sousuke could react to the sudden intimacy, he watched the coaxing shake of their wrists. The Bombay that crept back to Makoto’s laughter slinked close to the reed, and started to bat at it to Sousuke’s absolute wonder.

“Whoa,” he let out a breathless laugh, not even noticing that Makoto had let go of his hand. Soon he was leaning forward, captured by how the cat danced to every shake of his wrist like his reed was a conductor’s baton. The unfamiliar ease the control gave him let another grin sneak onto his lips. “Would you look at that…”

Playing with the kitten, he didn’t notice the blush in Tachibana’s fond smile.

* * *

The woman eventually left of her own accord, despite not receiving a phone number. After watching the automatic doors slide shut, Haru looked back at the playground, narrowing his eyes at the businessman who made himself oddly comfortable in Makoto’s close quarters. Even though Haru would always admire the size of Makoto’s heart, he never appreciated the naivety that could easily get him hurt.

At the thought of something fishy, Haru went to check the mackerel stock in the storeroom.


End file.
